The Le Mans General Discussion Thread

[Kingofweasles]

What?

Franck Montagny was the "Peugeot Refugee Driver" you posted a video interview about.

 

[gtone339]

Franck Montagny was the "Peugeot Refugee Driver" you posted a video interview about.

Nope, the latest video that I posted mate. Not him.

 

[boiltheocean]

That's awesome! I wan to go so
Bad!!

I went. Also attend last year when they fielded a Mercedes Benz C11 and a few Jaguar XJR-9s. I'll repeat this to anyone until the day I die, if you ever get the chance to see a Group C car being driven in anger then take that chance, it's a mind-blowing experience.

 

[nitrorocks]

I went. Also attend last year when they fielded a Mercedes Benz C11 and a few Jaguar XJR-9s. I'll repeat this to anyone until the day I die, if you ever get the chance to see a Group C car being driven in anger then take that chance, it's a mind-blowing experience.

Yeah and I can't believe they actually race them. Not like the Monterey Motorsports reunion where they go slow.

 

[prisonermonkeys]

Lola Cars has gone into voluntary administration:

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/99638

 

[hawkeye122]

"Administration"? What does that even mean? Is that like bankruptcy?

 

[nitrorocks]

Well, who was going to use their chassis anyway? I tenement seeing many pictures but no one ever invested In the team and bought a chassis.

 

[RACECAR]

Well, who was going to use their chassis anyway?

Well Dyson Racing for starters.

 

[nitrorocks]

Well Dyson Racing for starters.

Oh. Its a very good looking car though.

 

[Jav]

Well, who was going to use their chassis anyway?

IRL, DTM, DP, Rebelion, Gulf Aston Martin, Dyson, and many others use Lola chasis. So I'm really anxious to know what this "Voluntary Administration" thing means...

 

[Tower Turn 13]

Well Dyson Racing for starters.

Bad example this season

I would have mentioned rebellion over Dyson as of the current status of their competitiveness haha.

Also (jeez you guys tell me to go look things up) :

It functions as a rescue mechanism for insolvent entities and allows them to carry on running their business. The process – an alternative to liquidation – is often known as going into administration. A company in administration is operated by the administrator (as interim chief executive) on behalf of the creditors as a going concern while options are sought short of liquidation. These options include recapitalising the business, selling the business to new owners, or demerging it into elements that can be sold and closing the remainder.

 

[RACECAR]

Bad example this season

Probably, but they're easily the most identifiable team using Lolas.

 

[Hun200kmh]

Administration by the creditors. They're the ones to decide if the company is to be saved (presumably you will need to spend more money to do it, and/or pardon their debts).

Putting it in a different way, it works as if the shareholders are in fact replaced by the creditors.

 

[Sier_Pinski]

*Spa Audi Highlights Video*

Reminds me of:


Also, will the Lola situation affect future Le Mans races this season or later? Quite a few LMP teams are currently using Lola cars, last time I checked.

 

[Tower Turn 13]

Probably, but they're easily the most identifiable team using Lolas.

Well in ALMS, yes. It really sucks I think Dyson should switch to an HPD or drop a class to P2 (that's where they're competitive even at current HP). Then crank up some of those HPD-bs to P1 class to compete with Muscle Milk. Claus Graf v. Montagney. Come on who wouldn't watch that.

 

[RACECAR]

Well in ALMS, yes. It really sucks I think Dyson should switch to an HPD or drop a class to P2 (that's where they're competitive even at current HP). Then crank up some of those HPD-bs to P1 class to compete with Muscle Milk. Claus Graf v. Montagney. Come on who wouldn't watch that.

I have never understood dyson. They have a way of running a car not exactly like the Contructor wants them to and they repeatidly have problems. I remember them running the RS Spyders and thought "finally, they'll actually go the whole race without blowing up", but they couldn't do that. Why? They didn't run the car exactly how Porsche told them they should. I do agree they have no shot against Cytosport, they are in the exact same situation as they were in 2009 against Fernandez's team in LMP2: new unproven package against a evolved, massaged race machine. I get the feeling though that even if they switched to a more competitive HPD, the pattern will repeat itself: they'll set it unlike how the contructor suggests they should (like they always do) and they won't get good results.

 

[freshseth83]

Rumor going around that Stephane Sarrazin will replace Hiroaki Ishiura at Toyota in their 2nd car at LeMans.

 

[gtone339]

Rumor going around that Stephane Sarrazin will replace Hiroaki Ishiura at Toyota in their 2nd car at LeMans.

Wow really? Gosh that's good news! I knew it! 👍👍

 

[nitrorocks]

Rumor going around that Stephane Sarrazin will replace Hiroaki Ishiura at Toyota in their 2nd car at LeMans.

That's good, but why?

 

[Kingofweasles]

That's good, but why?

Because Stephane Sarrazin actually has experience at Lemans?

 

[gtone339]

That's good, but why?

Because Stephane Sarrazin actually has experience at Lemans?

Yup! He is also a former Peugeot Sport driver who used to drive the 908 in Le Mans, from 2007 - 2011. Wish Peugeot comes back to Le Mans in the future.

 

[Tired Tyres]

Rumor going around that Stephane Sarrazin will replace Hiroaki Ishiura at Toyota in their 2nd car at LeMans.

Where are you getting this rumour from?

 

[Furinkazen]

Sarrazin is also one of the very best at qualifying.

 

[gtone339]

Sarrazin is also one of the very best at qualifying.

Yeah he was before until Anthony Davidson shows up.

 

[Solo]

whoops wrong thread!

 

[gtone339]

whoops wrong thread!

Lol.

Oh by the way, have a look at this.

Dome S102.5 Châteauroux incident -

link: http://www.mulsannescorner.com/newsmay12.html

We woke up this morning to this image in our Twitter feed from Dome founder Minoru Hayashi. Not a pretty sight, clearly a major issue in testing for the S102.5. We understand that the accident was caused by a tire failure at the end of the straight of the Châteauroux airport at 310 km/h with Minassian at the wheel. The team was checking through the pre-Le Mans list on Châteauroux's straights. The car was launch about 3 feet off the ground by the lump of tire carcass but the Big Honking Fin and Big Honking Holes did their job and the car didn't take flight, instead going sideways and landing, "quite softly" (per Minassian), spinning down the runway and into the grass. The flailing tire caused all of the damage, tearing the wing off as well as the engine cover, as well as damaging numerous other items (toe links and pushrods, exhaust muffler, etc.). But mechanically the car is completely sound (tub, gearbox).

A quick reply to our email and we have some answers from Dome's Hiroshi Yucchi:

"We were just doing a systems check at the airport where we went in March for the shake down (Châteauroux). The burst was caused by the debris. Apart from that, everything was fine at the test. Also, we have spare parts to repair the car in time for Le Mans test. Actually, the damage of the car is less than you can imagine from the photo."

So good news about a bad situation.

Thank you mulsanne!

 

[Furinkazen]

Still loving how its officially referred to as the "Big Honking Fin" and "Big Honking Holes"

 

[nitrorocks]

Still loving how its officially referred to as the "Big Honking Fin" and "Big Honking Holes"

Yeah

But that was some very bad damage on that car.

 

[gtone339]

Any news on Pescarolo 03 judd yet?

 

[CodeRedR51]

ALMS will be racing at Circuit of the Americas starting in 2013.

http://www.alms.com/articles/alms-circuit-americas-2013

👍